I’m jumping into the bandwagon of using #ChangeIsComing quotes but in this case, let the change come to our homes. It’s time to change the traditional way of thinking that only women should work at home when it comes to household chores. It’s the modern times already and women had already been elected to the highest positions and there had been a woman who went to the moon. It’s the era when gender equality is being recognized, and so thus, into our homes.
Doing Household Chores Is Not An Easy Feat
If you don’t have a maid, or even if you have one, you are aware that maintaining the cleanliness of our home is not an easy feat. It takes strength and patience to keep everything organized and clean as much as possible. Sweeping the floor, wiping the furniture, replacing the curtains, organizing cabinets, etcetera, etcetera, all these require energy which can be exhausting if you are the only one doing it. All the more if you are a work at home mom who just sneaks in some minutes of personal time. The energy we need to accomplish all these is the same as the energy being spent by strong men who toil outside. And so, how come most of us feel that these chores were only for women?
Stereotypes. This is what we need to break. We were all brought up in our homes seeing our moms doing all the works at home and the fathers work outside, go home, relax and eat dinner by nighttime. And we all think that this is ideal. But times have already changed, and women these days have more things to accomplish and we all have the right for relaxation. That will only be possible if the husbands will give their fair share of doing house chores including doing the laundry.
Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad Campaign
Watch this video by Ariel which was lauded internationally because of its touching theme of how a father realized that it is not correct that he let his wife do all the chores at home in the past which is what her daughter imitated and was doing in her own family. The commercial ends with the father sharing the laundry load with his wife hoping that one little change can make all the difference. This commercial was praised by Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg ( a powerful woman indeed) and she said that this is one of the most powerful videos she has ever seen.
Make sure to watch this video which has touched the hearts of thousands of viewers.
What We Should Do Now
I admit that as ideal as it is, letting the husband do some chores including the laundry, can be a challenge. I once let my husband use the washing machine but when he was done and I checked the clothes, it turned out that the clothes looked like they were not washed at all. It was my fault I assumed that he knew how and because of my dissatisfaction, I never let him do the laundries again. I just thought it’s just not for him.
But when I think of it now, since I’m the one who knows how to properly wash the clothes, I should teach my husband on how to do it. I need to trust him enough at least for the heavy pants. Good thing the new Ariel Liquid Gel is powerful enough to be used as his detergent. This liquid gel detergent is very economical and easy to use, and I can just teach my husband to use the cover as the measuring cup. Since it’s a liquid detergent, it’s very easy to dilute and there’s no chance that there will be residues sticking to the clothes after washing.
Change always starts at home and if we start it even in small ways, we will be able to see the change we wish for in due time if we will be patient and persistent. It will also take mutual understanding for the couple to be able to share the load effectively but it will be a true test of love, isn’t it? If our kids will see us sharing responsibilities equally, there will be a chance that they will have an easier and happier family life in the future.